educational heritage that will help dispel the savage stereotype of the

wolf held by generations of humans.

These next set of pictures are of the Sawtooth Wolf Pack. I sponsor 3 of these wolves

This is one of my sponsored wolves.... Lakota.

Lakota becomes more social with every turn of the season. Typically, breeding season creates an increase in dominance over Lakota from Kamots and Amani, but this year was different. He received much less dominance from Amani and slightly less from Kamots, however Piyip increased his rank reinforcement over him. This dispersal of discipline caused Lakota to sustain only superficial (minor)

scrapes on his rump compared to previous year's injuries. Accordingly, he has increased his proximity to the remainder of the pack and is seen participating in every pack activity. We even witnessed a previously rare occurrence for this

pack: Lakota beginning a howl with the rest of the pack following his lead into a full chorus. Lakota is probably living the best years of his life, so far.

Through all these disturbances, Wahotts and

Lakota have remained as neutral as possible and

on the edge of the action. It has paid off for them,

as neither was involved in any of the conflicts and

thus they were simply spectators. Both are doing

great for this time of year. So far, Amani seems to

be more tolerant of the lower ranks than Kamots

was.

LAKOTA

Sorrow befalls the Wolf Education and Research Center as Lakota Passes Away

On Thursday, May 9, 2002 a sadness befell on the Sawtooth Pack; Wolves of the Nez Perce and the Wolf Education and Research Center with the passing of it's eldest member, Lakota.

Early this morning while conducting the daily pack check, Lakota was found to have passed away in the night. There was no evidence of a traumatic death, such as pack aggression.

The preliminary necropsy conducted by a veterinarian this afternoon found that Lakota's heart valves were rigid along with his liver exhibiting signs of damage. According to the veterinarian this is not uncommon among canines of his age, as Lakota was eleven years old.

Although the cause of death has not been officially determined, it is possible for Lakota to have experienced pulmonary failure. A full necropsy report should be available in a few weeks.

MY SPONSORED WOLF LAKOTA HAS DIED!!

AND PART OF ME HAS DIED TOO. I MORN HIS DEATH AND FEEL TREMENDOUS GRIEF.

I HAVE SPONSORED LAKOTA AND FOLLOWED HIS LIFE SINCE 1996.

THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM AND THE REST OF THE SAWTOOTH WOLF PACK 'WOLVES OF NEZ PERCE' ON THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL IN THE FILM BY JIM AND JAMIE DUTCHER CALLED "WOLVES AT OUR DOOR" I ALSO HAVE A COPY OF THAT FILM.

THANKS TO THE INTERNET I WAS ABLE TO PRINT OUT EVERY UPDATE AVAILABLE ON THEM FROM THE WERC WEB SITE. I WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THESE WOLVES

LIVES, I STILL SPONSOR MATSI. THIS LINK WILL TAKE YOU TO THE WERC WEB SITE

force throughout the female hierarchical shift. He remains a very respected authority and"right-hand-man" of Kamots during the female

overthrow. During the initial stages of breeding

season, Matsi exhibited his usual aversion to females and submission to Kamots.However,

Matsi is believed to be one of the major opponents

toward Kamots that led to his overthrow. For a

week after Kamot's fall, Matsi continued to

reinforce that Kamots was not to be near the pack,

thus ensuring he could not quickly regain the alpha

role. A few weeks later, Matsi and Amani began to

compete for the alpha-male rank through posturing

dominant toward one another frequently and rarely fighting. Although most displays were ritualized (only light physical contact, if any), Matsi sustain an eye injury that occluded his vision for two days. This may have led to Amani being able to dominate over Matsi to take sole control of the pack. A few other pack members joined in forcing Matsi to submit, therefore he has moved away from the pack temporarily and probably lost his beta-male rank

Matsi removed from Sawtooth Pack, doing fine

Matsi has been the omega-male of the Sawtooth Pack: Wolves of

the Nez Perce for seven months, obtaining the position after losing

a battle with Amani for the alpha-male rank of the pack. Through

these months, Matsi sustained several significant, yet not life

threatening, injuries during dominance displays over him by various

pack members. Although discipline was commonly directed toward

Matsi, he still remained an integral part of the hierarchy. On

Monday, October 9, Matsi sustained an injury to his genital region

that would eventually end his stay with the remainder of the pack.

The pack veterinarian recommended corrective surgery or Matsi's

life may have been in jeopardy from imminent infection. On

Saturday, October 14, Matsi was removed form the pack's

enclosure and underwent surgery to correct the injury and thus

prevent infection. Due to the anesthesia necessary for the operation

and the recurring significant injuries to his body, WERC elected to

permanently remove Matsi from the Sawtooth Pack: Wolves of the

Nez Perce. He currently is recovering in the one-acre holding pen

adjacent to the pack, and plans are under way to create a new and

permanent home for him. To date, the pack is coping well with the

loss of his rank, and has begun to shift the male hierarchy to

compensate for the vacancy. More information will be made

available as the pack's shifting becomes more clear and we are

able to observe a new hierarchy.

Matsi and his medicine bag.

This is Weyeken. I also sponsored her.

WEYEKIN

In mid-October of 1999, Weyekin,

whose name means 'spirit-guide' passed away.

She was the omega wolf of the Sawtooth Pack.

She had gotten sick only a few days before. In the

hopes of making sure that we understand what

happened, a necropsy (like an autopsy on

humans) was done. Medical science tells us that

Weyekin passed away from natural causes. These

things happen, yes. In the wild and in captivity,

animals pass on. Both we and the pack will mourn

for our lost sister, and then we will move on.

Weyekin's death makes the importance of the

mission of the WERC and the responsibility that

we feel towards the Sawtooth Pack sharper, more

clearly defined in our minds. We mourn her

passing, yet our Weyekin will continue to guide us

in spirit. The WERC plans to establish an award

and scholarship in her name.

This is Chemuhk. Since Weyekin's death I now sponsor her.

Chemukh was the strong alpha female of the Sawtooth Pack: Wolves of the Nez Perce for about three years--until November. When Weyekin died in October, the omega-female position became vacant. Slowly, tension built in the female ranks of the pack. An intact hierarchy within a pack must have all positions filled. When a pack member dies or disperses, the remaining members will reorganize the hierarchy according to their strengths. Without Weyekin, three females remain Chemukh, Motoki, and Ayett. Motoki and Ayett are Chemuk daughters. Change within the pack hesitated, tension growing among its female members for about a month after Weyekin's passing.

Ayett and Motoki joined forces against Chemukh and overthrew her. The former alpha female was very submissive to both her daughters and had sustained significant wounding on both hind legs.

Chemuhk Escapes

After over 4 years in operation, WERC experienced its first wolf

escape. The wolf that escaped is Chemukh, the omega-female of

'The Sawtooth Pack; Wolves of the Nez Perce'. The enclosure is

double - fenced the entire circumference, except an approximate

30-foot section where the pack is usually fed from. Chemukh

climbed the fence at this single fence area. This area has extra

precautionary measures installed to prevent climbing of the fence,

including an electrified fence and a three-wire overhang that

extends one foot over the inner side of the fence. These measures

failed to stop her.

Currently, It is believed that Chemuhk remains in the area around

Winchester, Idaho and the WERC. The Nez Perce tribe has kindly

offered the use of trappers which are being used in the tribe's

ongoing wild wolf studies. These people are experts in their field,

and have a long history in successfully catching and releasing

wolves in the wild.

Chemukh will probably not endanger any domestic or wild animal,

as she has no hunting skills and furthermore will probably be too

scared to use the skills she has. However, if an animal matching her

description approaches your animals, Chemukh can be easily

scared away by yelling at her or throwing an object at her. Again,

SHE WILL NOT BECOME AGGRESSIVE TO HUMANS. Shooting a

rifle in her direction to scare her or kill her will result in severe panic

or the injury/death of an innocent, scared animal who is simply lost

or attempting to return home. Please contact WERC immediately

upon sighting.

This is Wahotts....He is the Omega wolf of the Sawtooth Wolf Pack. Beautiful isn't he?